Soundcheck: how communication improves project management
Communication is vital for the success of a project, task, or just overall daily operations at the workplace.
Learn how to communicate effectively for better project management.
Why do some teams seem to be always in sync while others fight bitterly over the smallest details? And which of them communicates better? While there may not be consensus on what “effective” communication actually means, there are surely no questions about its importance: teams who communicate effectively may increase their productivity by as much as 25%. Unsurprisingly, communication also improves engagement, retention, and trust.
These are the key benefits of two-sided, feedback-rich communication, and how to apply it to project management.
Check the 8 IT project management skills you need to succeed.
The benefits of effective communication
Improved productivity
An organisation where information is communicated clearly, where everyone is in sync and knows what their roles are, what is expected of them, and how to do it, is a more productive place. Improved productivity in an organization hinges on clear communication, role clarity, and mutual understanding of expectations.
A prime example is the daily Scrum meeting, a key practice in Agile methodologies. During these brief, time-boxed meetings, team members share what they accomplished yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any obstacles in their way. This practice ensures that everyone is aligned, aware of their roles, and able to address issues promptly. Effective communication, like passing client requirements accurately to the team, is vital for maintaining productivity and delivering successful outcomes.
Check how to be productive in online meetings
Mitigated conflicts
Most conflicts happen because of ineffective communication or misunderstandings. While some conflicts can be easily solved, without any external action, sometimes a good mediator can untie the knot by stepping into the conflict and helping communication between both sides.
Healthier workplace culture and increased retention
It’s no secret that open communication and giving feedback between coworkers, teams, higher ups, and different departments fosters a healthier environment. Having a clear and strong company culture is vital for job satisfaction and employee retention, while employee talent recognised and acknowledged increases engagement at the workplace, which feeds into productivity.
Luis Silva, our internal coach at Near Partner, has significantly contributed to our team’s success. His approach to coaching involves fostering open communication and building trust, which has made feedback sessions both productive and positive. Through his mentorship, we’ve developed a robust framework for personal and professional growth, making continuous improvement a core aspect of our work culture. Luis’s support has been a key driver in our journey towards excellence.
Learn about Near Partner’s company culture and what drives us, leading to employees who are happy with their jobs and roles, and satisfied with the organisation they work in.
Knowing project status
A Project Manager needs to communicate closely and frequently with its team to track project status, identify any blockers or delays, reorganize the work, help the team and communicate the project status to the customer.
Customer relationship and satisfaction
Having transparent and honest communication with your customers is crucial to maintain their satisfaction and a healthy relationship along the project duration, and even after.
How to communicate effectively
Ready to improve your communication game? Try out these tested tips on your projects.
Be clear
Number one mistake in communication is to expect your audience to “read between the lines”. People aren’t mind readers, psychics, or experts in behavioural analysis. For example, it is much more productive to set or negotiate a deadline, than to leave it open with expressions such as “ASAP”, “soon”, or similar.
Confirm everyone is on the same page
Ask questions or rephrase, with your own words, what your interlocutor just said to be sure you both understood the same thing. It will earn you time in the future, avoiding misunderstandings or even rework.
Plan moments of reflexion and discussion
Schedule meetings like retrospective, brainstorming, lessons learned to invite your team to reflect and discuss on important topics, on what can be improved, should be kept or removed. This is a good way to gather feedback from your team and to give them a safe space to express themselves. Topics and issues can vary from process, project, technical stuff or even to relationships. Make sure everyone has the same time to express his opinion.
Get involved
Effective communication is the cornerstone of a productive and harmonious workplace. To communicate effectively, it’s crucial to leverage a blend of verbal, non-verbal, visual, and written communication. Each form serves a unique purpose and can be used to enhance clarity, build relationships, and ensure that messages are received and understood accurately.
Some important key notes you can have in mind: when in meetings make sure you practice active listening and adjust your tone and pace to exciting news or serious discussions; regarding non-verbal communication, you can maintain appropriate eye contact to show confidence and engagement; when it comes to written communication always proofread for grammar, spelling, and clarity before sending.
Don’t be afraid of heated debates
Intense debates can yield positive results, as long as discussions are kept to the subject at hand. The trick is to know when to stop – do it too soon and you might be stifling innovation, do it too late and risk getting lost in the heat of the moment.
Listen just as much as you speak
Communication should flow both ways. If you are trying to explain how a project should be executed, it is natural that those involved will have something to add to the conversation. Additionally, active listening will make your teams feel heard and involved in the project at hand.
Adapt the message to your audience
As a Project Manager your audiences can vary tremendously. Speaking to customers, reporting to your manager or explaining project goals to your development team requires adapting your communication style and language.
Never forget positive feedback
While all feedback is valuable, positive feedback can go a long way in motivating a team. So, even if the news isn’t exactly good, try to find some bits of positive feedback. For example, if you need to have a difficult meeting about missed deadlines, try to include a positive comment on everyone’s effort.
Don’t be afraid of individual meetings
Sometimes having a one-on-one is all you need to help a team member get more confident and into the spirit of the team. Use this moment to give specific and constructive feedback, to reinforce your relationship and to check his satisfaction.
Use the right tools
Luckily nowadays we have a range of technological tools to help us communicate in the best way possible. From video conferencing to internal chats, discussion forums, AI assisted writing tools, Slack, Discord, Trello, the right channels can help keep everyone informed. Prefer synchronous conversation such as video calls to asynchronous like text messages to convey more information, also using body language or voice tone, to your receptor.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Reinforce your communication and support your ideas with drawings, sketches, wireframes or examples. Attach a Figma file to your development story to be sure everyone is on the same page, or a screenshot with an example of bug showing what should be the correct way and detail the steps to reproduce it.
Don’t be condescending
There are people who like things explained as if “they were five years old”, but there are also people who absolutely don’t. As a rule of thumb, try to be clear and explicit, but don’t fall on the trap of sounding like a preschool teacher.
Invite questions
Invite each and every member of your audience to ask questions related to the topic or project at hand. It can not only help them, but also you, the speaker, understand important difficulties or obstacles in the project.
A partner with whom you can communicate effectively at every stage
At Near Partner, we strive to help our clients achieve their goals by delivering customised, quality IT solutions – from custom apps to legacy system modernisation. There is (almost) no challenge too challenging for our team of superstars – after all, we are problem solvers.
Have you ever wondered what is like to have an extended team? Better yet, learn everything on how to choose a software development outsourcing partner.
Take a look at the Nearshore Solutions we offer or just get in touch if you are unsure of how we can help your business. Get in touch with Near Partner let us help you solve your problem.
